More Than Sympathy
by Cloud van Dyk
Summary: Star pianist Haruka Tenoh is close to reaching the top of her career, but when a cruel attack is staged towards her, it's her doctor Michiru Kaioh who helps her to keep the faith....Epilogue up and Story finished! v
1. Surprise Package

Author's Note: Please don't think I'm psycho ^^;; Ok…most of you probably do already anyway. BUT! The following fic starts out very angsty and slightly bloody and stuff, but that will only be for the first two or three chapters, I promise. Then it will all be sweet love and not-so-sweet drama ^^;; Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Haruka, Michiru and all other mentioned characters from Sailormoon are property of Naoko Takeuchi. I'm just borrowing them :) Novril is a painkiller that does not exist in reality (as far as I know), but there are other codeine-based medications, and you can get hooked to them, so be careful what your doctor gives you ^_~ 

Dedication: Dedicated to Leo – for keeping me busy during the boring Nightshifts  ^_~

More Than Sympathy

Prologue: Surprise Package

"Listen to this." Haruka Tenoh spoke into her phone, grinning from ear to ear while she did before she started reading the newspaper article she held in her hands into the phone, which was penned between her shoulder and ear. "Piano genius Haruka Tenoh gives another excellent concert at the Tokyo Art House. They call me a genius!" The man on the other end of the line, her father, laughed at the pride in his daughters voice. "Yes they do, Haruka. And I'm proud of  you." "Thanks." Haruka replied, slightly blushing and happy that her dad couldn't see it. "I wish I could hear more of that, Dad, but I need to hang up now…I still have a meeting with my manager." "Sure, no problem. Call later?" her father asked in reply, earning a smile and a "Of course dad." Before both said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Haruka looked at the article once more, her grin widening, while she read it one more time. When she reached her favourite part – the part about her being "the youngest (28) successful pianist in Japan who had good chances of reaching number one of the charts, awaking classical music from it's slumber" – her grin widened even more. Whistling, Haruka threw the newspaper on the small desk that stood next to her coat hanger, running one hand through her short cut blonde hair while she used the other one to take her long black coat off it's hook and put it on. Still whistling, the blonde grabbed her car keys and hurried out of her apartment, locking the door behind her before she made her way into the garage and got into her car, driving off. 

"The concert you played yesterday was great, Haruka." Yosuke, Harukas manager, spoke while he offered her one of his cigars. The blonde gladly took and let him light it, soon blowing blue clouds of smoke into the office air. "Thanks." She then spoke, smiling at the elder man before taking another drag of the cigar. "You'll probably be the first classical artist who reaches number one of the charts since forty years. Or even more." Yosuke continued, his pride clearly showing through his voice. "And don't forget about the youngest." Haruka reminded him, making him chuckle. "And the youngest, yes. You can be proud of yourself, Haruka…but this is just the start." "Oh?" Haruka asked, raising one eyebrow while blowing out another cloud of smoke. "When your debut album is done, I want you to go on a tour through Japan. And maybe, after a second album – we could make a live album of the tour, that surely would be a big success – we can think about a world tour. You're on the verge of becoming a superstar, Haruka." Yosuke explained while Haruka leaned back in her seat, her eyes glistening. The possibilities now all opened up to her; Yosuke was right, if she put enough work and effort into it, she would become a superstar. And if not super, at least a normal star, which wasn't a bad thing either. "You're right." She slowly spoke, taking another drag from the cigar. "And it sounds great." Yosuke smiled and stood up, making her do the same. "Great to see that we think alike, Haruka. Now if you excuse me, I still have to meet other clients of mine…I will call you, okay?" Haruka nodded, shaking the hand Yosuke stretched out towards her. "Talk to you later." She then spoke before turning around and hurrying out of the office, ready to get home and relax.

Half an hour later, Haruka laid on her couch, watching TV – although she wasn't really interested in the court show the channel showed – and, in her fantasy, already seeing herself playing in the world's biggest concert halls, in front of people of all ages who just came to hear her play. _Her.__ Haruka let out a happy little sigh, but her daydreaming got disturbed when somebody rang her doorbell. Sighing again, this time not so happy, Haruka got up from the couch and walked over to the door, opening it. The mailman stood in front of it, grinning at her and holding a brown, oddly thick package up to her face. "Tenoh Haruka-san?" he then asked. Haruka nodded, eyeing the package and the mailman cautiously. "Yes. How can I help you?" the blonde then asked, smiling at the young man, who's smile widened even more in return. "I have a package for you. Probably a love letter with some present, seeing how thick it is." He then added with a wink while he handed the said object to the pianist, who took it gratefully. "Thank you. Where do I need to sign?" The mailman held a blue clipboard out to her, pointing to a dotted line right over the bottom of the paper that was clipped to it. "Right here, Tenoh-san." Haruka pulled her trusty autograph-pen out of her pocket, signing where the mailman wanted her to. "Thanks!" the mailman grinned, slightly bowing. Haruka grinned back at him before saying goodbye, closing the door. Cautiously, she grabbed the package she just had received, and tore it open. There was an incredible loud bang, and Harukas world turned white…and then the pain came._


	2. Operation

Chapter 1: Operation

Haruka laid on the ground stunned for a moment, not realizing what just happened. There was a strange, numb feeling in her hands, and she heard heavy footsteps thundering towards her, but she didn't know what all of this meant. Then, the thought suddenly hit her. _Something is wrong with my hands. _"Nonsense." Haruka mumbled to herself while the mailman's face appeared over hers, staring down at her with – for some reason – horror in his eyes. "D-don't move." The young man now stuttered, his voice shaking with fear. "I'll call the ambulance, and…and it will be okay…" _But I am okay. _Haruka wanted to protest, but before she even had the chance to open her mouth, the strange thought of before came back. _Something is wrong with my hands. Wrong. _Slowly, the blonde rose her head – for one moment wondering why she was lying on the ground in the first place – until her eyes fell on her right hand, which laid at her side. For a few moments, she couldn't figure out what was wrong with the sight, then she realized – there was blood. A lot of it. "What…" Haruka croaked out, her eyes staring at the mess that covered her pants, her forearm, and some of the floor. _It'll take me forever to get that out of the carpet. _She dully thought to herself, before another, shocked voice screamed at her: _Don't worry about the fucking carpet! Worry about your hands__! Faintly, the blonde could hear how the mailman spoke into the phone frantically, but she couldn't quite understand what he was saying. Something about blood, and her name…but that was all she could make out. Slowly, her gaze fell back to her right hand, and that was when she realized that indeed something was wrong with it. Although it was covered in blood, she could see what wasn't alright. At first, Haruka tried to convince herself that what she saw wasn't real, even blinked several times. __This can't be. It can't be real. I don't see what I think I see…something happened, and now I'm in shock, and my mind is playing tricks on me, I don't see this, no, it's not real, it's just a mean trick of my own mind, it's…it's real. The though hit the blonde with the force of a sledgehammer, and finally, while she kept staring at her hand, where suddenly the last two fingers were not there anymore, she started to scream. She didn't stop screaming until the ambulance arrived, and when they finally had loaded her on the stretcher and rushed her out to the car, she had fallen unconscious._

"Dr. Kaioh! Into the ER 2!" The voice that sounded through the emergency ward of Tokyo Hospital sounded more than hectic, causing Michiru Kaioh, the wanted doctor, to look up from her paperwork in both surprise and curiosity. For one brief second, she wondered why they asked for her and not for the other doctor in charge today, an elder and more experienced man, then she jumped up from the desk she had been sitting on and hurried out of the room, over to the emergency room where the call had come from. Three people were already in it; two of them being paramedics, the third one – obviously the patient – a young blonde woman who laid on the operation desk, covered by a thin white blanket. It was bloodstained at a few spots, but at first look, it didn't seem too bad to the young doctor. "What happened to her?" Michiru asked while pulling the mint green mouth coverage over her head before tying her hair up in a loose bun, covering it with a paper cap afterwards. Last but not least, the aqua haired woman put on a pair of transparent latex gloves while she waited for the paramedics to explain the situation. When the taller one of them started to speak, she could feel how her blood froze. "Apparently someone sent her a letter bomb, and when she opened it…well…it exploded. I guess you can imagine what her hands look like now." Michiru nodded before taking in a deep breath and grabbing the white blanket that covered the blonde. With one fast motion, she pulled it off, revealing the blondes body along with what was left of her hands. Gently, the young doctor took the right hand, turning it so she could see the damage that had been done. "Last two fingers of the right hand missing." She mumbled to herself, before looking up at the paramedics again. "You didn't happen to find them, right?" she asked, although she already knew what the answer would be. "Oh, we did find them. The ones of her other hand too." The smaller one replied, folding his arms over his chest. "In about one million pieces." Michiru gave him a sharp glare before she hurried around the operation desk and examined the other hand. "Thumb and middle finger of the left hand missing too, index finger halfway torn off." She added, then looked at the paramedics again. "Could you please get out? You're not needed anymore." The two men shrugged and nodded, saying their goodbyes to the aqua haired woman before rushing out of the room. Michiru pushed the button of the speaker that was mounted to the wall and barked into it: "Two assistant doctors into ER 2!" Only moments later, the doors flew open, and the two assistants came hurrying in, though stopping dead in their tracks when their eyes fell on the blonde who laid on the desk. "Stop staring and help me!" Michiru snapped at them, tearing them out of their trance. "We need to stop the flow of blood and stitch her up before she bleeds herself to death!" "Yes doctor!" the two young men cried out, rushing over to stand by her side. Michiru gave them first rough orders, and the operation began.

"Finally." Michiru sighed, cutting off the last thread she had used to stitch Harukas hands up with before she looked at the assistant doctors. "Bandage her hands now and get her into a free room. And tell the nurses to call for me as soon as she wakes up." "Yes doctor." The two young men agreed, one of them already reaching for the bandages. "Thanks." Michiru mumbled, already halfway out the door. As soon as it had closed behind her, she leaned against the wall and let out a deep breath. She had recognized the young woman who had lost almost half of her fingers; it was Haruka Tenoh, the pianist. "Somebody will have to tell her that she probably won't play the piano anymore." The aqua haired woman thought to herself, looking up at the ceiling. "And I hate to know that it has to be me." With that, she moved away from the wall and walked off, towards the doctors lounge, with the intent to get a hot cup of coffee before she looked after her other patients. The thought of Haruka never left her mind though. 


	3. Awakening

Chapter 2: Awakening

_I have a package for you. Probably a love letter and a present, seeing how thick it is._

_The Boom._

_The white light._

_The blood._

_Something is wrong with my hands._

_And then the pain._

Waking up felt to Haruka as if she was coming out of a thick dark cloud that surrounded her. She softly groaned, once again trying to remember what had happened. "Tenoh-san?" a soft, melodic voice now entered her ears, finally reaching her brain, causing her to groan in response. "Tenoh-san, can you hear me? Open your eyes if you do." Slowly, Haruka obeyed the voice, forcing her eyelids open although they felt as if somebody put cement on them. At first, her vision was blurred, but when it came into focus, she found herself looking at a young aqua haired woman, wearing a white doctor's coat. "Welcome back, Tenoh-san." The woman now spoke, smiling at her. "Who…" Haruka tried to speak, only to suffer from a coughing fit the next second. Her throat felt as if somebody had put thick layers of fabric into it just for fun. The aqua haired doctor patiently waited until the coughing was over, then she took a glass of water from the nightstand that had it's place next to the bed and held it up to Harukas lips. "Here, drink this. Then it will be easier for you speak." Slowly, the blonde took a few sips of the water, feeling how it ran down her throat and making the fabric-like feeling vanish. "Who are you?" she finally managed to press out after swallowing a few times, her voice sounding even huskier than it usually did. "Michiru Kaioh, your doctor." The beautiful woman replied, and suddenly a red alert light flashed up in Harukas mind. _My doctor? Does that mean that I'm…_ "I'm in a hospital?" she slowly asked, not really wanting to hear the answer. The memories slowly came flooding back to her, the package, how she opened it, then the blinding flash of white light, and then the pain…followed by an unpleasant discovery. She couldn't remember what the unpleasant thing had been – not yet – and she wasn't too sure if she _wanted to either. "Yes." Dr. Kaioh now replied, her smile slowly fading. "Do you remember what happened, Tenoh-san?" Haruka nodded, closing her eyes for a second and taking in a deep breath before opening them again and looking at the aqua haired woman. "Yes…I received a package per mail. I opened it, and then…something exploded…and the next thing I remember is lying on my carpet, wondering how I got there…and that something was wrong with my hands." Michiru nodded in response before she started to speak. "The explosion you heard was a letter bomb someone sent to you, Tenoh-san. When you opened the package, it exploded." Suddenly, panic filled Harukas teal eyes. "What happened to my hands?" she asked, her voice shaking with fear. "What happened to…" "I'm sorry that I have to tell you this." Michiru softly replied, capturing the blondes gaze with hers. "But…the bomb tore off the last two fingers of your right hand…as well as the thumb and middle finger of your left. The index finger of that one got halfway torn off too, but we managed to save it…you might have slight problems moving and feeling it in the first weeks, but as soon as the nerves healed up again…" "Get out." Haruka interrupted her hoarsely, causing her to stop talking immediately and look at the blonde shocked. "Tenoh-san, I…" Michiru started, only to receive another "Get out" in reply, harsher this time. "You shouldn't be alone now." The aqua haired woman softly spoke, starting one last attempt to convince Haruka into letting her stay. "I want to be alone. So __get the hell out!" the last four words were spoken in such a harsh, hateful tone that Michiru finally gave up, rising from the bed and walking towards the door. Before opening it, she stopped to look back at her patient once more. "If you need me, just push the red button over your head." She mumbled, getting no reply this time. Suppressing the urge to let out a sigh, the aqua haired girl opened the door and left the room, quietly closing it behind her again. As soon as she was gone, Harukas gaze fell down on her bandaged hands that laid on the blanket, and slowly, she raised them – thankful for the painkillers she had been given, otherwise this small motion would have probably been painful enough to make her scream – and stared at what had been perfect hands just twenty-four hours ago. It was obvious which parts were missing, the left hand looking much worse than the right one. Slowly, hot and salty tears welled up in Harukas eyes while she let her damaged hands sink back on the blanket. She leaned back in her pillow, squeezing her eyes shut…but she couldn't keep the tears from falling._

Only one hour later, the door to her room opened again, and Dr. Kaioh poked her head in. "I know that you don't want to see anyone." She spoke, not getting any reaction of Haruka, who just laid in the bed staring out of the window. "But I need to check on you. So can I come in?" The only reaction her question caused was a slight nod, almost invisible. Slowly, Michiru approached the bed, sitting down next to it. "How do you feel?" she gently asked, trying to give her voice a soothing tone. "Shitty." Haruka mumbled in reply, not taking her eyes from the window. "It will be better soon." Michiru softly spoke while taking off her stethoscope to check Harukas heartbeat. "I don't think it will." Haruka replied, finally turning her head to look at her doctor. "I'm a pianist. Or, better said, I was one. You can't play the piano very well with four of your fingers missing." "I know." Michiru replied while writing something on her clipboard. "But I'm sure you will master your life as soon as you get out of here, Tenoh-san. And you will get all the help you need." Haruka shrugged again, her gaze once more falling on the window. "Do you need another painkiller yet?" Michiru now asked, concern in her voice while she looked at the blondes bandaged hands that laid on the blanket. "No." came the short reply. "Ring for me if you need one." The young doctor nearly pleaded, earning a short "Okay." Slowly, the aqua haired woman rose from her chair, hanging the stethoscope around her neck again. "I'll check on you later." She promised before leaving the room again, leaving Haruka behind with her thoughts and worries.


	4. Fatherly Visits

Chapter 3: Fatherly Visits

Much to Harukas annoyance, Michiru came to check on her every hour; she didn't measure her heartbeat every time, but kept asking her how she felt and if she needed anything. There was only one time where Haruka was kind of grateful when the aqua haired woman appeared in the doorframe again, three hours after she had woken up. Her hands where throbbing with dull pain at that time, and she knew that if she didn't ask for a painkiller, the dull pain would turn into flaming pain, probably worse enough to make her fall unconscious, or at least to make her scream. So this time, when Michiru asked if she needed another painkiller, the blonde nodded, giving her doctor a thankful look when she brought the small pink capsule and a glass of water. Quickly, Haruka threw the capsule into her mouth, washing it down with a big gulp of water. "Thanks." She then softly mumbled, her eyes avoiding those of Michiru. "That's my job." Michiru replied, trying to sound cheerful. "I'm here to make you as comfortable as possible, Tenoh-san." Haruka didn't make any comment about that; she just leaned back in her pillow and waited for the medication to work. Michiru said her usual words – that Haruka should ring for her if she needed anything, and that she would be back later – before she left the room again. Only two minutes later, the door opened again, and Haruka looked over surprised, thinking that Michiru had forgotten something. Instead of the doctor, her father came rushing in, his face going pale when he saw his daughter. "Oh Haruka, my dear!" the elderly man cried out, almost falling to his knees next to the bed. "Hey Dad." Haruka softly spoke while her father decided that kneeling wasn't a very good idea and instead sat down on the chair Michiru had been using before. He reached out to take one of her hands, then remembered what had happened and pulled back, looking awfully insecure for a second. "Your doctor called me and told me what happened." He finally spoke, his eyes never leaving the face of his daughter while he folded his hands in his lap. "God, Haruka, I wish I could have kept this from happening to you somehow…" Haruka sighed and looked at her father. "I know, Dad. But there was nothing you could have done…no one ever thought that something like that would…be done to me." Her father nodded, looking down at his feet for a moment before his eyes came up again, meeting those of his daughter once more. "Do you have any idea who could have done this?" he then asked, his voice clearly showing that he hoped for Haruka to say something like "Yes, of course I know. It was…" Instead, Haruka replied: "No…not a clue. I didn't look at the sender of the package, and even if it was there…I doubt that anything of the paper it was written on is still left." Her father sighed and leaned back in the chair. "We'll have to trust the police then…I just hope they find the bastard and put him to jail for the rest of his life." Haruka nodded, although she was pretty much aware of the fact that the culprit – whoever it was – wouldn't go into prison for the rest of his life. He probably would get something between ten and twenty years, then be all nice and good in prison and get out five years before the actual date of release. "Did they tell you when you will be able to leave?" her father now asked, causing Haruka to stare at him for a few seconds while she tried to follow the fast change of topic. "Umm…no." she finally spoke. "You'll have to ask my doctor…Dr. Kaioh." "I will before I leave…but now I just want to be there for you. Now and later, when you get out." "Thanks." Haruka replied, her voice hoarse all of a sudden. "I don't know how to cope with this Dad…that fucking bomb blew off four of my fingers, I'll never be able to play again…I…" The rest of the words she had intended to say vanished in a strangled sob, her chest rising and falling heavily. "God, Haruka…" her father whispered, carefully hugging her, making sure he didn't poke her hurt hands by accident. "It will be okay." He whispered into her ear while he held her tight, letting her cry into his shirt. "It will be okay, sweetie, it will be okay…I promise it will be okay."

Two hours later, Dr. Kaioh appeared in the room again, telling Haruka and her father that she really regretted this, but Tenoh-kun really had to leave now. Harukas father just nodded, promised his daughter that he would come again the next day, said his goodbye to Michiru and left while Michiru sat down on the chair that now was free again. "Are you feeling a little better now?" she gently asked, earning a slight nod in reply from her patient. "Yes…a little bit. I still wish I could turn back time and throw that damned package out of the window instead of opening it, but I guess that's not an option, right?" The last words were accompanied by a bitter smile, causing Michiru to give her patient a worried look while she nodded slightly. "Unfortunately not, Tenoh-san…I wish there was more I could do for you then give you painkillers and change the bandage every six hours, but…" "Change the bandage?!" Haruka asked, suddenly sounding very alarmed. Michiru looked at her, raising one eyebrow, and nodded. "Yes, change the bandages to keep the wounds clean…why? Does that worry you?" Much to her surprise, Haruka – who had been pretty reserved towards her during the first of hours of knowing each other – was honest enough to nod. "Why?" Michiru gently asked, reaching out and putting one hand on the blondes forearm. Haruka looked at the doctors fingers for a moment, then back up to her face. "I…" she started, only to stop speaking almost immediately again and swallowing heavily for a few times. "I don't want to see." She then admitted, her voice so soft that it was almost inaudible. "I understand that." Michiru replied, hoping that she sounded convincing enough. "And you don't have to watch…you can look at your hands when you are ready for it. No one will force you to see something you don't want to see." Haruka let out a short, bitter laugh and shrugged. "I will have to see them everyday as soon as I get out of here, so I guess I can get used to the sight as early as possible, right?" Michiru shrugged and rose from her chair, looking down at her patient. "It's your decision, Tenoh-san…but I would recommend not to. It still looks very bad, seeing that the stitches are still there and all…it only would give you an unnecessary shock." With that, the aqua haired woman left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving Haruka behind, staring after her with a mixture of shock and surprise in her teal eyes. 


	5. First Look

Chapter 4: First Look

Haruka laid in her bed, dozing lightly, when the door of her room opened once more, causing her to open her eyes and look over to see who was entering. Of course it turned out to be Michiru – and she carried something that made the blondes stomach contract. Haruka held back a strange burping sound while her doctor approached the bed with fresh bandages and a tube of some salve, probably disinfecting stuff. "Are you sure you want to see it?" the aqua haired woman softly asked, while Haruka just nodded, knowing that she would throw up if she opened her mouth. She quickly motioned for the glass of water that stood on her nightstand, making Michiru holding it to her lips, and took a few big gulps before leaning back in the bed. "Do what you have to do." She mumbled, fighting the strong urge to turn her head away. Michiru nodded and sat down, placing the bandages and the salve in Harukas lap for easy access. "It may hurt a little when I take the bandages off." She spoke while already starting to work on them. "If the pain gets too much for you to handle, tell me and I'll stop to get you another painkiller." Haruka nodded, gulping heavily while she watched how the aqua haired woman's experienced hands undid the bandage on her right hand and started to remove it. The first thing to come in sight was the back of her hand; across it, from the knuckle where her pinkie once had been over to where her wrist started, a line of stitches held the skin together, the black threads sticking out strangely. "What happened there…?" Haruka asked, her voice sounding oddly dry. "The explosion tore the skin open." Michiru replied, stopping the process of removing the bandage for a moment. "We had to stitch it up, but it wasn't too bad…it will probably leave a scar, but that should fade away after some time." Haruka nodded, taking in a deep breath when Michiru continued unwrapping the bandage. Next thing to come in view were her thumb and the two fingers that had stayed unharmed; they were bruised and probably it would hurt to move them now, but they still were intact. Michiru stopped unwrapping once more and looked at Haruka. "You still can look away." She softly spoke, her hand holding one end of the bandage while the other one still was hidden somewhere under the wrappings of itself. Haruka shook her head, suddenly a thick lump in her throat that made it unable for her to speak. "Okay." Michiru spoke, taking a deep breath in herself before she gently removed the last bit of the bandage. At the sight of what was left of the last two fingers, Haruka let out a short desperate groan while she stared down at the knuckles and at the black threads that stood out of the skin where once fingers had been, surrounded by blood and dried remains of the salve. "God…" Haruka croaked out, feeling how the lump in her throat grew until she thought it would choke her to death. She felt how Michiru put a gentle hand on her shoulder, probably with the intent to make her look at her, but all the blonde could stare at was her hand, her hand that suddenly only had three fingers instead of five, and the black thread that had been used to stitch the torn flesh up. "Are you alright?" the aqua haired doctor now asked, squeezing her patients shoulder. Finally, Haruka found herself able to tore her gaze away from her hand and looked into the doctors face. "Yes…go ahead." She spoke hoarsely, earning a slightly worried look and a nod from the aqua haired woman. Quickly, Michiru put the strangely coloured salve – it was of a dark red, making the blondes hand look as if it was still bleeding horribly – on the stitches to keep them from infecting themselves, then applied a new bandage. "Do you want to take a short break before I do the other hand?" the doctor then asked, honest concern in her voice. Haruka shook her head and replied: "The faster you continue, the faster it's over." Michiru nodded and quickly moved around the bed to take care of Harukas left hand. She started to unwrap the bandage, faster this time, and soon the back of the blondes hand came into view. "It looks odd without a thumb." Haruka commented, trying to sound funny, but only ended up sounding miserable. Michiru gave her a short look, filled with sympathy, before she took off what was left of the bandage, exposing the rest of Harukas hand. The index finger looked strangely attached to it, especially with the black stitches that ran around half of it; then, a large looking gap came, and finally the bruised ring finger and the last one came into view, causing Haruka to gulp heavily once more. Michiru gave her another worried look, then put the used bandage aside and opened the salve tube once more. "The stitches and the blood make it look worse than it is." She softly spoke while putting the salve on. "As soon as we got the stitches out and the blood is off…it won't look as bad anymore." "Except for the fact that my fingers still will be missing." Haruka mumbled, staring down at her left hand. "And that they won't grow back." Michiru shook her head, feeling how her heart filled with sadness at hearing the tone of the blondes voice. She sounded so desperate, so utterly…down. "I know that this isn't much of a comfort for you…but you'll get used to it." The aqua haired doctor now spoke while she tied the second fresh bandage she had brought around Harukas hand, covering up the damage that had been done. "Do the bandages feel too tight?" the doctor asked as soon as she was done, earning a soft "No" in reply. "Good…if you get a tingling feeling in your fingers, ring for me. Or if you need anything else. Are you in pain?" "No again." "Okay…you know the deal, just push the magic red button and I'll pop up." The aqua haired woman tried to joke, only getting a small smile in return. "Thanks." Haruka mumbled, looking at her doctors face once more. "How long will it take until I can leave?" she then asked. Michiru shrugged and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Depends on how fast the wounds heal…I'd say at least four weeks, and not much longer than six." Haruka nodded, leaning back in the pillows again and closing her eyes. "You should get some rest now." Michiru advised her patient before wishing her a good sleep and leaving the room. As soon as the door had closed, Haruka opened her eyes again, staring down at her bandaged hands, trying to keep the tears from falling. This time, she succeeded. 

A/N: I can't believe I wrote a whole chapter about taking off two bandages -_- Talk about excessive detail? LOL! I hope I didn't bore you out with that ^^; If I did, I'm sowwy! *falls to her knees* 


	6. Special Treatment

Chapter 5: Special Treatment

During the next hours, Haruka somehow managed to sleep peacefully; every time one of the memories of opening the package containing the letter bomb came up, the subconscious part of her mind banned them away to allow her body to get the rest it needed. When the blonde awoke again almost seven hours later, she felt surprisingly refreshed, and for one wonderful minute, the thought of what had happened to her had been completely washed away. Then, it all came back, and a dark wave of depression rushed over Haruka – accompanied by the strong wish of talking to someone. A certain someone. Reaching out, Haruka somehow managed to press the red button that was mounted to the wall over her head with the thumb of her right hand – it hurt her wounds and bruised fingers to do so, but it was necessary – and only two minutes later, the door opened and Michiru poked her head in, worry literally plastered over her face. "Tenoh-san? Are you okay?" she asked, entering the room when Haruka replied: "I don't feel good, Kaioh-san…", in a small, miserable voice. Quickly, the aqua haired girl hurried over to the bed, sitting down on the chair she always used next to it. "What's wrong?" she gently asked, reaching out and putting one hand on the blondes forearm, gently squeezing it. "My hands hurt." Haruka replied, close to tears all of a sudden, and not even really knowing why. "I'll get you a painkiller." Michiru promised, already rising from her chair. "Anything else you need, Tenoh-san?" Haruka nodded, and Michiru gave her a questioning look. "Company." The blonde softly spoke, avoiding the doctors eyes as if she was ashamed for what she said. "I…I don't want to be alone right now." The aqua haired woman gave her patient a smile and nodded. "That's ok Tenoh-san. I'll get your painkiller and be right back…then you'll have your company." "Thanks." Haruka whispered, a suspicious glint in her eyes all of a sudden. She used the sleeve of her hospital pyjama to wipe over her eyes, blinking several times after she had done so. Michiru gave her another encouraging smile and hurried out of the room and over into the nurse office, where the medications where kept. Just as she opened the cupboard with the quite strong painkillers, the door opened again and another doctor, an elder man named Morato Hongo, entered. "Good evening Kaioh-san." The man spoke, smiling at his colleague. "Good evening Hongo-san." Michiru replied, smiling back while taking one of the capsules out of the package she had chosen. Hongo looked at the medication and frowned slightly. "Novril…pretty strong stuff. For whom is this?" he asked, looking slightly worried. "For Tenoh Haruka-san…you know, the young pianist who had the letter bomb sent to her." Hongos face darkened. "Yes, I know…whoever did this to her should pay dearly. I didn't have a chance to read her file yet, how bad is it?" Michiru slightly sighed and explained what had happened to Haruka, and that the blonde really needed the Novril, at least for the first days. "After three or four days, I can give her something lighter, but right now, she really needs this stuff…I can't imagine how intense the pain has to be she feels, and she hides it quite well, but it surely hurts a damn lot." Hongo nodded, smiling at Michiru once more. "Don't worry, if anyone should ask about the Novril use, I'll explain. Just make sure that you don't get her hooked. That stuff contains codeine, and that's more or less a drug." Michiru nodded, putting the capsule in the pocket of her doctor's coat before saying her goodbye to Hongo and hurrying out of the nurse office, back into Harukas room. The blonde laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling, her teeth clenched. Thick droplets of sweat ran down her cheeks, and the veins in her neck stood out like cables. For one terrible second, Michiru thought that her patient was right now suffering through a heart attack or a stroke, although she knew how unrealistic this was, considering Harukas age. Then she realized what had happened; after seven hours of sleep, the pain in her hands was probably driving the blonde insane by now. _"And I spend more time than necessary talking to Hongo…what kind of doctor am I?" Michiru scolded herself mentally while she hurried over to the bed, pulling the capsule out of her pocket before she even had reached it. "I'm back, Tenoh-san…sorry it took me so long." She quickly apologized while gently making the blonde open her mouth and take the capsule in. As soon as the Novril laid on Harukas tongue, Michiru grabbed the glass of water and held it to the blondes lips, allowing her to wash the medication down with it. "Thanks." Haruka mumbled as soon as the capsule was gone, hoping that it would work __very soon. Michiru gave her an unsure smile, feeling a little responsible for the pain the blonde just had suffered through. Slowly, she rose from her chair and walked over to the washbowl that was mounted to the northern wall of the room. The aqua haired doctor talk one of the blue hospital towels from the hooks that where fixed to the wall, turned on the water and held the towel underneath the cold liquid, soaking it with it. As soon as half of the towel had turned from light blue to dark, thanks to the water it had soaked up, she turned the faucet off again and wringed out the towel until it wasn't dripping wet anymore, but still moist enough to leave a cool feeling on the aqua haired woman's skin. Haruka watched with interest what Michiru was doing, and her interest turned into slight happiness when the doctor returned to the bed and started to wipe the blondes sweat off her forehead and cheeks. "I have to thank you again now. Seems like I'm not doing much other things." Haruka mumbled while Michiru put the towel away, smiling at her. "Nothing to thank me for, Tenoh-san. It's is my job after…" "No." Haruka interrupted her, though not in a rude tone. "What are you doing for me is more than doing your job. It's your job to heal people, not to keep them company when they get…down. If you would do that for every patient you got, you would live in the hospital." Michiru blushed and looked down, realizing that Haruka had caught her. "That's true, Tenoh-san…but some patients acquire special treatment. And you are one of them." "I see." Haruka replied thoughtfully, looking at her doctor closely. "And why am I one of them?" "I will tell you later, when you are better." Michiru quickly avoided the subject. "Now we should try and find something to eat for you, I don't want you to starve. I'll be right back." With that, she jumped up and hurried out of the room, leaving Haruka behind slightly surprised – and wondering if maybe she had said something wrong. _


	7. Police Visit

Chapter 6: Police Visit

Haruka was back to dozing when another light knock at her door made her open her eyes again. "Yes please?" she weakly spoke, trying ignore the throbbing feeling that ran through her hands – a feeling that probably soon would change into searing pain again. The door opened, and a young man accompanied by a slightly older woman poked their heads in. "Tenoh Haruka?" the woman asked, smiling at the blonde. Haruka nodded, and the two entered the room. "Good afternoon, Tenoh-san. I'm Officer Asami, and this is my colleague, Officer Sukoro." The woman spoke while her younger colleague closed the door behind him. "Good afternoon." Haruka replied, watching how the two police people approached the bed and sat down, Sukoro using the other chair that stood in the far end of the room. "How can I help you?" Haruka asked, raising one eyebrow while she somehow managed to sit up without making her hands hurt even more. "We are here because of what happened to you." Sukoro spoke, giving the blonde a look filled with sympathy. "Actually, we are here to find out who did this." Haruka let out a small sigh, closing her eyes for a  second before opening them again and looking at the two police people. "I wish I could give you information that could help with finding the culprit." She softly spoke. "I really do. But I have not the slightest idea who could have done this." Sukoro sighed slightly while Asami looked at the blonde encouragingly. "We know that you don't really know who did this. But maybe we can find out. Do you have any enemies, Tenoh-san?" Haruka shook her head. "None that I know about. Of course, there are people who are envious about what I reached, especially pianists who are older than me and not as successful…but I don't think that anyone of them is capable of doing something like that." Asami nodded while Sukoro sat next to her, eagerly scribbling down what she said in a small black notebook. "I see…" Asami spoke, thoughtfully leaning her chin into one hand. "And…you never were threatened by any of those other pianists?" Haruka frowned while she tried to remember if anyone ever had said anything that could be considered a threat. "Well…" she finally slowly spoke, "there was one incident…but I'm not sure if it really was a threat." Asami raised one eyebrow, looking at the blonde questioningly. "Please tell us, Tenoh-san." She then spoke, leaning back in the chair and crossing her arms over her chest. "Well…it was after my last concert, three days ago. I just was walking out of my dressing room, ready to leave and head home, when another pianist…I think his name is Koji Misato…came up to me and pushed me against the wall. When I asked him what was wrong, he just hissed Do you like surprises? before he let go of me again and hurried off before I had a chance to ask him what exactly he wanted to say with that." Haruka explained, hoping that this didn't sound too stupid. "I see." Asami mumbled. "This does make sense for us, Tenoh-san…thanks to the good brain of the mailman who delivered the package to you." "Oh?" Haruka replied, now being her turn for raising an eyebrow. "And how does it make sense, if you don't mind me asking?" "Well…the mailman, Kenichi-san, told us that the package had Surprise, Surprise written on it. There wasn't a sender on it – would have been too good to be true – only those two words, and they didn't help us much. But now that you told us about this incident, it does help a lot." "So you think it was Koji?" Haruka asked, capturing the police woman's eyes with hers. "Indeed, Tenoh-san…well, let's say that he is a suspect. We will pay him a little visit and ask him a few nice questions." Haruka nodded, leaning back in her pillow, letting out a small sigh. "It won't give me back my ability to play…but please…make sure that whoever did this gets a fair share of jail time." She softly spoke, earning another sympathetic look from Sukoro and a nod from Asami. "We will, Tenoh-san. And you'll be the first to know." With that, the two police people rose from their chairs, explaining that they had to visit Koji now, said their goodbyes and walked off. As soon as they were out the door, Dr. Kaioh entered the room, smiling brightly at Haruka. "I see that police was here. Do they have any clue who did it?" the aqua haired woman asked while she sat down next to the bed, crossing her legs. "Sorta." Haruka replied, trying to ignore the pain in her hands – and the annoying itch she felt on her right upper leg. "They have a suspect…a pianist who asked me if I like surprises after the end of my last concert." Michiru raised one eyebrow, looking slightly unconvinced. "And because of that they suspect him?" she asked, her raised eyebrow wandering down again and turning into a frown. "Not just because of that…but according to the mailman who brought the package and called the ambulance, the words Surprise, Surprise were written on it, instead of a sender." "Oh." Michiru mumbled. "Well, that's a good reason to suspect him then…but anyway, that's not  why I'm here. There's something else too." Haruka slightly smiled at the doctor before she asked: "And what would that be, Kaioh-san?" Michiru gave her another, bright smile. "Wait here for a second." She then begged before jumping up again and hurrying out of the room. Seconds later, the aqua haired woman came back in – pushing a black and silver wheelchair along in front of her. Haruka raised one eyebrow, at first looking at the wheelchair, then at Michiru. "A wheelchair? Did I miss something and my legs got hurt too?" she asked, only half jokingly. Michiru giggled slightly, making Haruka feel much better immediately, and shook her head. "Don't worry, your legs aren't hurt. I just don't want you to walk already, but I thought that maybe a little trip into the hospital garden would be nice for you." Haruka gave her another smile, this time a more heartily one, and nodded. "A nice idea, Kaioh-san. Let's get rolling then." Michiru giggled again while she rolled the wheelchair over to the bed. "Good to see that you didn't loose your humour." She softly spoke before gently helping her patient into the wheelchair and rolled her out of the room, over to the elevator. 


	8. Garden Talk

Chapter 7: Garden Talk

„I can tell that you don't really like this." Michiru spoke while she wheeled Haruka down the hallway, over to the elevator. "Oh?" Haruka replied, turning her head to look at the aqua haired woman, "how come?" "You sit there all stiff and are staring down at your legs, that's what all people who can walk and still have to sit in a wheelchair for some reason do." Michiru explained while pushing the button that called the elevator up. "Seems like you have experience when it comes to that." Haruka assumed, smiling slightly. Michiru nodded, patting Harukas shoulder. "Indeed, I do." The elevator arrived, and the doors opened, allowing the aqua haired woman to push the wheelchair inside. The two stood and sat in odd silence while the lift made it's way down into the ground floor; when the doors finally opened again, Haruka let out a small, relieved sigh. "Don't like elevators?" Michiru asked immediately, once more giving Haruka the feeling that she cared a little bit more about her than doctors normally did when it came to their patients. "Slight case of claustrophobia." Haruka replied, blushing slightly while she made that confession; normally it was kept a secret. (A/N: I borrowed the idea that Haruka is suffering from slight claustrophobia from Rei-chan, since for some reason, I kinda like it ^^ Thanks Rei-chan!) "It's not like I start to panic or to cry or something, I just get uncomfortable in small places." The blonde then explained, as if trying to justify herself. "It's okay." Michiru assured her while she rolled the wheelchair down the hall and out into the garden, stopping next to a bench that stood in one of the sunny spots. "Sun or shadow?" the aqua haired woman asked, earning a slight shrug from Haruka. "I don't really care. Sun is okay, I guess." Without waiting for the doctor to help her, or even say anything, the blonde stood up and sat down on the bench, leaning back to let the sun shine on her face. Michiru sat down next to her, looking at her, before she spoke up. "You asked me while you are one of the patients who get special treatment before." Haruka turned her head to look at her, nodding. Michiru blushed slightly while she looked down at her hands. "Well, Tenoh-san, you see…I like you. Probably more than a doctor should like a patient, but I can't help it. And I feel sorry for you…I don't know you for really long now, but I can tell that you are a kind person and have a good heart. And you didn't deserve this." The last sentence was accompanied by a vague gesture at Harukas bandaged hands. "No one deserves something like that." Haruka replied, looking down at her hands herself. "But still it happened…and I guess I'll just have to live with it." She looked up again to give Michiru a weak, unsure smile. "I still can _write_ songs after all." The aqua haired doctor nodded in reply, reaching out and putting one hand on Harukas forearm. "Yes, you can, Tenoh-san. And I'm sure that as soon as you get out of here, people will stand in line to perform the songs you will write." Haruka chuckled slightly – the first chuckle ever since she had opened the fateful package – and shrugged. "Let's hope so. Otherwise it might get quite hard to make a living." "I'm sure it will be like I said. And if not…with your knowledge when it comes to music, especially classical music, I'm sure you could also be a critic for one of the big newspapers." Michiru replied, adding a wink at the last part. Haruka chuckled again, louder and longer this time – almost making it a laugh – and looked at the doctor, smiling. "Now _that's something I really should consider." She then spoke before chuckling again, shaking her head. Michiru giggled in return, playfully slapping Harukas upper arm. "Now come on, the suggestion wasn't that odd!" she defended herself while her hand fell back to the forearm of the blonde, without herself even noticing it. "No, it wasn't." Haruka replied, smiling at her doctor. "It's an option I will keep in mind when the songs I write turn out to be crap. Not that I think this will happen." "You're so modest." Michiru joked, winking at her patient once more, who grinned and shrugged in reply. "Always am." Before the blonde could say anything more, a loud grumbling noise suddenly interrupted her, causing both Michiru and herself to look slightly surprised. Then, Michiru slowly spoke, and the tone of her voice nearly caused Haruka to crack up. "Tenoh-san…was that your _stomach?" __

"What's for dinner?" Haruka asked eagerly when Michiru entered her room, this time not rolling a wheelchair in front of herself, but a silver steel cart with two plates and a small glass bowl on it. "Let's see what we have here." Michiru replied, stopping to examine the food that laid on the plates. "Noodle soup, chicken with potato and peas, and – for dessert – cherry compote. Like it?" Haruka shrugged, looking at the cart eagerly. "It's hospital food. No matter what you get, it all tastes the same." She replied, when suddenly worry filled her eyes. "Kaioh-san…how am I supposed to eat with my hands all bandaged up?" In front of her inner eye, she already saw herself being fed like an infant, and that scared her more than anything else for some reason. Michiru gave her a smile and kept pushing the cart until it stood next to the bed. "I need to change the bandages anyway…I will unwrap your right hand far enough to expose the first three fingers, then you should have no trouble eating. The chicken is soft, you won't need to cut it." "Thanks." Haruka replied, smiling while relief filled her. Michiru quickly did what she had promised – wrapping the bandage off until the thumb, index and middle finger of Harukas right hand laid free and were useable – and sat down next to the bed. "Try to bend your fingers…if it hurts too much, we will have to find another way to get that food into your stomach." The doctor advised, watching closely when Haruka slowly at first moved her thumb, then bending it, doing the same with the other two fingers. "Just fine." She then spoke, smiling at her doctor. "You sure? Or are you just too proud to let yourself be fed, and say that it's okay even though it does hurt?" Michiru asked, trying to sound understanding and not accusing. "I am too proud to have myself fed, but it really doesn't hurt." Haruka replied, her gaze never leaving the one of her doctor. After a seemingly endless moment, Michiru decided that Haruka told the truth and nodded, handing her a fork. "Okay. If it does start to hurt while you eat though, tell me." Haruka nodded, already getting some of the potatoes and the peas on the fork and shoving them into her mouth. Michiru leaned back, simply watching her – without the blonde noticing the loving look in the aqua haired woman's eyes. 


	9. Thoughts Of A Doctor

Chapter 8: Thoughts Of A Doctor

When Haruka had finished eating, Michiru put the cart outside the room, leaving it next to the door. "One of the nurses will take it away later on." She explained when she noticed Harukas slightly questioning look. "But you should get some rest now, Tenoh-san. Want another painkiller before you go to sleep?" Haruka nodded, looking at her doctor with a strange expression in her eyes. "That, and something else, Kaioh-san." Michiru raised one eyebrow, slightly surprised. "Oh? And what would that be, Tenoh-san?" "Please…call me Haruka." Haruka replied, her eyes falling from the aqua haired woman's face and concentrating on her blanket while she spoke. Thanks to that, she didn't see Michirus smile at first; she saw it though when the doctor spoke up, smiling, making her look at her. "Only under one condition, Haruka-san." "Condition?" Haruka repeated, looking slightly worried all of a sudden. "Yes…an easy one, I think. I will call you Haruka…if you call me Michiru." Harukas smile appeared on her face like the sun breaking through a mass of clouds. "Gladly, Michiru-san." Michiru smiled back at her before she checked her watch and let out a small sigh. "As much as I hate the though…I really have to leave now, Haruka-san. I'll see you tomorrow?" Haruka nodded, stifling a yawn while she did. Michiru grinned at her and waved goodbye to her. "I'll send a nurse with the Novril to your room before I go home. We don't want you to stay awake because you suffer from pain, right?" "Right." Haruka confirmed before saying her goodbye to the aqua haired woman, who left and closed the door behind her. Minutes later, a young nurse entered the room, carrying a pink capsule and a glass of water. She helped Haruka swallowed it, then changed the bandages – which Michiru hadn't done for some reason – before she wished a good night to Haruka, who already started to feel drowsy from the medication. "Thanks." The blonde mumbled sleepily while the nurse already was on her way out. Only two minutes after the young woman had closed the door, Haruka was fast asleep, in the land of dreams.

At the same time Michiru arrived at her apartment; she threw her coat carelessly into the next corner – something she normally never would have done, but this time she had other things on her mind than her coat. Or more likely, one other thing – a certain blonde woman who laid in one of the hospital rooms, both of her hands bandaged. Letting out a sigh, Michiru let herself fall into the cushion chair that stood in her living room, staring out of the window deep in thought. _A doctor never should fall for his patient. That's against our codex. the voice of her professor when she still had been at the university rang through her mind. The aqua haired doctor clearly remembered what she had thought when the professor had said those words; at that time, she had been convinced that she never would fall for a patient. She would be a professional doctor after all, right? And professional doctors didn't do stupid things like that. And here she was now, doing one of the stupid things – falling for her patient. For Haruka, the poor woman who's career had been destroyed within the span of one second. __At least her spirit didn't get destroyed. The aqua haired woman thought to herself while running one hair through her hair. __It did pull her down at first, but it seems as if she's coping with what happened…at least I hope she does. I wonder how I would react if something like that happened to me? Gosh, I probably would cry myself to death. The aqua haired woman let out another sigh and finally rose from her chair, making her way over into the kitchen. After finishing her usual evening routine – have quick dinner, followed by a quick shower – she snuggled herself into her bed with the book she currently read – __Virus by Robin Cook, a book that made her feel kind of freaky at places, even though she was a doctor and knew that a virus like the one in the book was _very _unlikely to come. (A/N: Ok, so maybe not. But I just read the book myself and it scared the shit out of me! So let me use that to calm myself down a little ^_~) After reading almost twenty pages, Michiru could feel how her eyes became tired. Letting out a loud yawn, the doctor put the book aside after marking the page she had been reading by  folding the corner of it down, creating a donkey ear – a bad habit she probably never would get rid off – and turned off the light, pulling the covers over here. After a while of laying awake and rolling from one side to the other, she realized that sleep wouldn't come as fast as she wanted it to. And it was – at least partly – the fault of Haruka. "Why do you have to be in my thoughts all the time?" Michiru asked out loud, not caring if her neighbours maybe now thought that she went bogus. She rolled on her back and looked up at the ceiling, or at what she could see of it since it was dark outside already, the image of a chuckling Haruka soon appearing in front of her face. _She's so beautiful when she laughs…heck, she's even beautiful when she's depressed! How can one single person be that cute? _Michiru thought to herself, then she realized that she was thinking like some lovesick teenager. She giggled to herself, slightly ashamed though about the way her thoughts took. __If I keep gushing over her like that, next thing I know is that she'll be my…fantasy when I feel lonely. That caused her to giggle even more, and she put one hand over mouth to muffle the noise a little. "My professor would be shocked if he knew how I think about Haruka by now." The doctor then spoke to herself, before another thought occurred to her, making her giggle even more. "And Haruka herself probably would be shocked too." She imagined the blondes face after telling her something like "Oh, and I felt lonely last night, so I did something about it…with you in my mind. Thanks to that, it was great." _Oh stop thinking like that! _She finally scolded herself, partly shocked about the direction her mind had decided to wander off to. Then, she decided that it was more funny than shockingly and giggled again before finally rolling over once more and slowly drifting off – with the image of Haruka in front of her inner eye. _


	10. Nightmares And Tears

Chapter 9: Nightmares And Tears

_„It's probably a love letter and a present, seeing how thick it is." "No." Haruka groaned in her sleep, caught in her nightmare, while almost twenty kilometres away Michiru laid in deep sleep, not knowing what her favourite patient was going through right now. In her dream, Haruka took the package from the mailman, signed on the dotted line and closed the door. "No." the blonde spoke again, thin lines of sweat running down her face. "No, I won't open it…I won't…" Her dream self didn't listen to what she said; it tore the package open, and this time, Haruka saw what had happened as if she was an invisible bystander. A great flash of white light surrounded her dream alter ego for a few seconds, accompanied by a loud bang, almost louder than a gun would have sounded if somebody fired it off. Then, blood splashed from her dream self's hands, blood and something else; a lot of strange looking white splinters. When Haruka realized that the splinters were the bones of her fingers, she screamed, and it was her own scream that awoke her and tore her out of the nightmare. She laid in her bed motionless for a few minutes, staring up at what she could see from the ceiling – after all, it was in the middle of the night -, her eyes filling with tears. Soon, they ran down the blondes cheeks, and her chest heaved with racked sobs. Ever since she had awoken in the hospital, she only had allowed herself to cry once, when her father had been here to visit her; now, all the emotions that had piled up inside her ever since then broke free, running down her face in form of hot, salty tears. Haruka let out another strangled sob, turning to the side and burying her face in the pillow to keep anyone from hearing how she cried. The last thing she needed now was some strange night nurse who thought that she had to take care of the crying blonde in room sixteen. Finally, after a seemingly endless time, her sobs were reduced to a soft sniffling, and then, after another long span of minutes going by, the tears stopped falling. Slowly, Haruka rolled on her back again, staring up the ceiling, all of a sudden feeling more alone then she ever had in her entire life. She wished for nothing more than for her doctor to show up in the room magically, smiling and talking to her, taking her thoughts off of her insecure future, of her insecure __life. How on earth am I supposed to live like this? I never knew how much you need all of your fingers until I lost them…how will I live? The blonde thought to herself, fighting back the urge to cry again. She closed her eyes, praying that sleep would come over her soon – and at the same time hoping that no more nightmares would torment her until the morning came. _

Michiru slowly opened the door to Harukas room and poked her head in, checking if the blonde was still asleep or if she already had woken up. Haruka laid in the white bed, looking out of the window, her chest rising and falling slowly, her bandaged hands laying on the blanket. "Haruka-san?" Michiru now softly spoke, making the blonde look at her. When the doctors eyes fell on those of her patient, it took a lot of her strength to keep herself from gasping. Harukas eyes were bloodshot and swollen, with dark circles underneath them; clearly showing that she had been crying last night. "Are you okay?" the aqua haired woman asked, honest concern and worry filling her voice. She moved into the room, closing the door behind her before she hurried over to the bed and sat down next to it. "Haruka-san, please answer me…are you okay?" Finally, Haruka shook her head, looking awfully helpless all of a sudden. "I had a nightmare." She spoke, her voice shaking while she did. "And then…the worries came again…I worried about how I'm supposed to live on my own now, without…you know…and the depressions came back…and I…I…" She stopped talking when fresh tears welled up in her eyes, choking her and making it unable for her to speak on. "Oh Haruka-san…" Michiru whispered, gently pulling the by now silently crying blonde into a warm embrace. "It will be okay." She whispered into Harukas ear. "I promise that it will be okay…your father and all the other people who like and love you will do their best to help you, and one day, you will be able to live on your own again. It might take weeks,  months or even years, but the day will come. Do you believe me?" The last question was accompanied by Michiru leaning slightly back and making Haruka look at her, capturing the blondes teal eyes with her own blue ones. "Do you believe me?" she repeated, slightly satisfied when Haruka finally nodded in reply. "Yes, I do." The blonde spoke, holding the doctors gaze with hers. At that moment, Michiru wanted to do nothing more than grab her shoulders and kiss her deeply, but she knew that this wasn't a very good idea. _Not yet, she told herself. _Wait until you at least suspect that she could like you too. If you kiss her now, it might scare her away…you don't even know if she's gay yet. Or single. Or both. _"Now it's my turn to ask." Haruka interrupted her trail of thought, making her look at her. "Are you okay? You just seemed kind of…spaced out." Michiru smiled at her patient and nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for asking. You shouldn't worry about me thought, but about yourself." Haruka shrugged, her gaze falling back to the blanket while she replied: "I do worry about you, Michiru-san. You see…I like you." she blushed slightly at this statement while Michiru smiled at her and patted her shoulder. "Good to hear, Haruka-san. You know I like you too, do you?" Haruka nodded, looking back up at the aqua haired woman. "Yes. And I'm happy that you do. I don't know what I would do if you weren't here…" Now it was Michirus time to blush. She coughed and rose from the chair she had been sitting on, nervously smiling at the blonde. "Well, after all this confessions, I guess you must be pretty hungry. I'll get you your breakfast." Haruka nodded and leaned back in her pillow, looking at the aqua haired woman's eyes once more. "Can I get a painkiller?" she asked, and Michiru nodded. "Sure. No Novril anymore though, I don't want you to get hooked. Aspirin may be spelled R-E-L-I-E-F, but Novril is spelled C-O-D-E-I-N-E after all. I will get you something lighter that still works." Haruka nodded, closing her eyes while she heard Michiru leaving the room. As soon as the door of the aqua haired woman had closed behind her, the blonde let out the sigh that had been bottled up inside her, opening her eyes again and looking at the door. __If only I knew if she loves me back. Haruka thought to herself, her eyes filling with sadness all of a sudden. _If only I knew. __


	11. Police News

Chapter 10: Police News  
  
After the breakfast, Haruka got her painkiller - this time, it wasn't Novril, like Michiru had said, but some other strange medication with a name Haruka wouldn't have been able to say to save her life. She quickly swallowed the yellow capsule, hoping that it would work just as well as the Novril she had been getting earlier. "If it doesn't work well enough, just ring and you can have a second one." Michiru spoke while she watched how Haruka swallowed the capsule, grimacing when it made it's small, hard way down her throat. "And this stuff isn't something that will get me hooked?" the blonde then asked, glad that the medication was where it belonged now - in her tummy. Michiru shook her head, leaning back in her seat while she spoke. "Nope. It's completely harmless.of course you shouldn't swallow a whole package at once, but you can take two or three without any worries." "Okay." Haruka smiled at the doctor, the depressions and tears of the last night almost completely forgotten. "I would love to leave some of the capsules here for you, but it's not allowed." Michiru spoke, regret in her voice. "It's okay." Haruka assured her, leaning back in her pillow while she spoke. "It's already starting to work, I can feel it." Michiru smiled at her patient. "Good. Well, as much as I regret it, but I still have to check on my other patients. I will come back to you for lunch, if you like." "That would be great." Haruka replied, returning the aqua haired woman's smile. "Oh, but before you leave.could you make sure that one of the nurses gets a TV in here? It's getting boring, now that I'm not dozing all day long anymore." "Sure, no problem." Michiru promised while she already rose from her seat. "I will send a nurse over with the TV as soon as possible. See you later, Haruka-san." "Later, Michiru-san." Haruka replied, watching how her doctor left the room and closed the door behind her. Only a few minutes later, it opened again, and a young nurse appeared in the doorframe, rolling a small cupboard with a TV on it in front of her. "Your TV, Tenoh-san." The nurse smiled while she put the TV in front of Harukas bed, so that the blonde could look at it easily. "Here's the remote. Do you think that you can push the buttons with your hands bandaged?" Haruka nodded, causing the nurse to put the remote on the blanket, between the blondes hands. "Thanks." The pianist spoke, smiling at the nurse, who blushed slightly and waved her hand. "No problem, Tenoh-san. Ring if you need anything." Haruka nodded again, and the young woman left the room while the blonde turned on the TV, soon concentrating on the American sitcom the channel was showing. Two hours later, a soft knock from the door of her room made Haruka look away from the show she was watching now and call out "Yes please?", a slight frown on her face while she did. The door opened, and the police woman who had been here last time poked her head in. Her name was Asami, Haruka remembered while the officer almost carefully asked: "Can I come in?" "Sure." Haruka replied, slowly moving the index finger of her right hand over the Mute button on the remote control and pushing it, cutting the actor who was talking off in mid-sentence and turning the show into a silent film. "Sit down." The blonde then offered, making a vague gesture at the free chair. Asami smiled at her and accepted the offer, sitting down and looking at Haruka. "I won't stay for long, Tenoh-san. I just came here to tell you some good news." "Oh?" the pianist replied, raising one eyebrow while leaning back in her pillow. "And that would be?" Asami's smile widened when she replied, and by the time she was done, Haruka was grinning from ear to ear. "The pianist you told us about - Koji-san - admitted that it was him who sent the letter bomb to you. He didn't build it himself, but he told us who did, and we have that guy under arrest as well. The trial will take place as soon as you are fit enough to leave the hospital and make your statement in the court." Haruka nodded, not able to stop grinning - although she was aware of the fact that she probably looked like an idiot when she grinned like that. "I see that you are happy about this." Asami spoke, her smile widening a little more - soon she will be grinning like me, Haruka thought to herself while looking at the officer and nodding. "Indeed, Asami-san.it's making me really happy to hear that you got the bastard who did this to me." "Oh, it was easy." Asami replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "We drove up to where he lived, rang the door, and when he opened and saw us standing there, the first thing he said was You're here because of Tenoh, right?. That was almost a confession, and the little details that were still missing came out of him later that day, at the police station." "And the guy who built the bomb? Who is he?" Haruka demanded to know, hoping that Asami would tell her. "Oh, a dude everyone of the Tokyo Police knows and hates." Asami replied, shrugging. "He's willing to do as good as everything for money.you're just lucky that Koji-san didn't convince him to shoot you with a sniper rifle. If that man wanted it, you probably would be dead by now." Haruka paled visibly, but she didn't pale because of the fact that Koji had sent a man who would have no scruples to kill her if he got enough money for it; it was the realization that hit her when Asami had said those words. "No." the blonde softly replied, looking down on her bandaged hands while she spoke. "He wouldn't have killed me. Koji didn't want to murder me, he just.wanted to make sure that I will never play again. And the letter bomb was perfect for that." She let out a heavy sigh and looked up again, her eyes meeting those of the police officer. "And in the last days, I wished that the bomb would have killed me. But I'm getting better." "That's good." Asami replied softly, and her voice and the expression in her eyes showed Haruka that she meant her words with every fibre of her heart. "It would be terrible if you gave up on life, Tenoh-san. Because then, Koji would get what he wanted when he make that guy build the letter bomb and send it to you." Haruka nodded in reply, letting out a small sigh and looking down again. "Anyway", Asami then briskly spoke, as if the short demonstration of feelings she just had allowed somehow ashamed her, "I really need to get going again. I still have other things that need to be taken care of." Haruka nodded, smiling at the police officer once more. "I guess I'll see you at the trial then, Asami-san." The blonde spoke, earning a smile and a "Sure." in reply before Asami said her goodbye and left the room, closing the door behind her. Haruka leaned back in her pillow and pushed the Mute button on the remote once more, allowing the actors and actresses to speak again; she didn't concentrate on the show anymore though. If you gave up on life, Koji would get what he wanted. The voice of Officer Asami spoke in the blondes mind, and suddenly, a determined look filled the blondes eyes. And that's why I won't give up. She vowed to herself, almost clenching her fists, but deciding otherwise just in time before it could start to hurt. No matter how long it takes, and no matter how much pain I'll have to go through.I will not give up. I won't give Koji that satisfaction. Never. 


	12. Don't Let Me Down

Chapter 11: Don't Let Me Down

Michiru strolled over to the door that led to Harukas room, whistling a happy song while she pushed the cart that had Harukas and her lunch on it in front of her. She just raised her hand to knock when suddenly an angered, male voice drifted through the wood, making the aqua haired woman stop her hand in mid-air and causing her to frown at the words she heard. "Don't you get it, Haruka-san? I can't be your agent anymore, you are useless for me!" Michiru let her hand fall back to her side and leaned closer to the door, determined to hear what Haruka had to say about that. "But Yosuke! I still can _write _songs, and I will need you to find the right people for playing them!" the blonde now replied, Michirus heart aching at how desperate the voice of her patient sounded. "You'll have to find someone else then." The man named Yosuke answered, his voice cold and harsh, causing anger to well up inside Michiru. _How can he dare to talk with her like that? Didn't she go through enough already? Is it necessary that this idiot keeps telling her how useless she is? _"You were my best pianist, Haruka-san, but now that you let that bomb blow four of your fingers off, I'm afraid that I can't afford it to be your agent anymore." Michiru clenched her fists, fighting down the urge to barge into the room and kick the man's ass from here to next Sunday. She stopped fighting her desire when she heard what Haruka replied, her voice shaking with what were probably held-back tears. "Don't let me down, Yosuke…please." _That's it. _Michiru decided, the anger she had been feeling to this point turning into a hot, searing flame of rage. She grabbed the door handle and pushed it down, nearly throwing the door open. Both Haruka and her manager looked up at the entrance of the doctor, and Harukas eyes nearly fell out when Michiru stormed over to the bed and grabbed Yosuke's collar, pulling the yelping man up until they were eye-to-eye. "Let go of me, you maniac!" the manager cried out, trying to pry her hands off his collar. "You stupid piece of shit!" Michiru hissed, causing Haruka to gasp in shock that the normally polite and calm doctor would use words like that. "Do you think that it's very useful for Haruka's healing process if you tell her how useless she is? Do you really think so?" the aqua haired woman now shouted, while Haruka just kept staring at her. _She said Haruka instead of Haruka-san or Haruka-chan. Could this mean something? _The blonde thought to herself while Yosuke tried to stammer out what was probably an excuse. Finally, Michiru let go of the scared manager, and he rose from the chair as fast as he could, hurrying out of the room with such high speed that he nearly stumbled and fell. Michiru let out the breath she had been holding inside, running both hands down her white doctors coat to straightened it. "Sorry about that outburst." She mumbled, not daring to look at Haruka. "It's okay…I have to thank you." The blonde let out a sigh and looked down at her hands. "Although Yosuke probably was right." She spoke, her voice so soft that it was almost inaudible. "I am useless for him." "No, Haruka-san! Don't think like that…please. It's not true. Like you said yourself, you still can write songs…" "But I won't find anyone to play them if I don't have my manager to help me!" Haruka cried out, her desperation clearly showing through her voice. "You don't need him!" Michiru shot back, hoping that her voice sounded convincingly enough. "You are famous, Haruka-san, and I'm sure that you will find enough people who are more than willing to play what you wrote without that guy!" "…you think so?" Haruka slowly asked, looking up at the aqua haired woman with a mix of hope and fear in her eyes. _Great.__ Michiru thought to herself while she smiled at the blonde and nodded. _Just now as she was getting better, that idiot had to come and send her back into feeling insecure…I have to make sure that it doesn't turn into depression. _"I'm one hundred percent sure. Don't worry." Haruka nodded, letting out a heavy sigh and leaning back in her pillow. "Thanks." She then softly spoke, her eyes meeting those of the aqua haired doctor and capturing them. "Thanks for being there for me." "Nothing to thank me for." Michiru replied while she just sat there, her gaze never leaving the one of the blonde. Slowly, Michiru could feel how she bent down – it was as if someone else had taken over her body and decided that now was the right time – and much to her happiness, Haruka didn't move back or look surprised or even scared. Instead, a longing look filled the blondes eyes, though she never looked away. And finally, Michirus lips met those of her patient in an at first innocent and soft kiss. Then, Haruka pushed herself up on her elbows, adding more pressure, and finally, the kiss deepened, the tongues of the two women meeting with such passion that the room almost seemed to heat up. Finally, Michiru broke the kiss by slowly pulling back, still enjoying the sweet taste of her patients lips and mouth while she did. When the two opened their eyes again, both were a little out of breath. "God, Michiru…" Haruka whispered, her voice full of emotion. Michiru just pulled her close, hugging her and feeling how her heart started to sing when Haruka hugged her back, leaning her face against the aqua haired woman's shoulder. "Promise you'll never let me down." The low, husky voice of the blonde came, slightly muffled. "I promise." Michiru whispered back. "I'll never let you down…and I'll never leave you. I love you, Haruka…" "I love you too." The blonde replied, leaning back up to look at the woman that now was her girlfriend. Their eyes met once more, and both started to smile. Then, they kissed again, not caring if maybe someone was watching through the open door or if somebody could come walking in. All they thought about was the other one, and how happy they were that they both finally had found someone to love._


	13. Healing

Chapter 12: Healing

In the days and weeks after the kiss, Haruka experienced a surprising burst of speed when it came to her recovery. Her hands seemed to heal up faster than anyone had expected; even Michiru was surprised when she changed the bandages two weeks after the attack had happened. Of course, she had changed them before too, but for some reason she never had paid much attention to how her patient's hands looked like, something that was probably to blame on the fact that the two women spent the time they had together with kissing and cuddling instead of talking about the healing of the blondes injury. "Looks like we can take the stitches out soon." The aqua haired doctor now spoke while studying Harukas hands. "If you want to, we can take those", she pointed to the line of black thread that ran over the back of Harukas right hand, "right now." Haruka shrugged and nodded. "If you think it's okay, I agree, sweetie." As always when Haruka used that affectionate nickname for her, the aqua haired woman couldn't help herself, but just had to smile from ear to ear. "Okay. I'll get the things I need then now, and get the threads out. You don't have to worry, it won't hurt a bit." Haruka nodded again, leaning back in her pillow. Michiru smiled at her again before she checked the blondes hands once more. "And next week, we can get out the other stitches too. Then you can leave and go home." While the doctor spoke, she rose from her chair, running one hand through her long aqua coloured locks. "If you'll excuse me for a minute…I'll get the tools I need to remove the stitches." "But hurry." Haruka pleaded, winking at her lover when she continued speaking: "I don't want to be without you for too long." Michiru smiled. "You're so sweet, Haruka." With that, she gently kissed her partner before hurrying out of the room and over to what she and the rest of the hospital staff called the "Tool Garage", although the official name for it was "Supply Room". She opened one of the cupboards and got out something that looked like a mini version of pliers, along with a pair of silver scissors. Putting the tools in the pocket of her doctor's coat, the aqua haired woman made her way back into Harukas room, where the blonde already was waiting for her. "Finally." Haruka smiled at her doctor, getting a smile from her lover in return while Michiru sat down next to the bed and took the blondes right hand into hers. She pulled out the scissors and the forceps – that was the real name of the mini pliers – and put them on the bed, causing Haruka to gulp when her eyes fell on them. "You will take the stitches out with that murderous instruments?" the blonde then asked, her voice shaking a little. Michiru gave her what she hoped was a calming smile and nodded. "Yes, but like I said…it won't hurt at all. It may tickle a little, but it won't hurt. Promise." "Okay." Haruka replied, though her face still looked slightly green. Michiru took the scissors and gently cut the ends of the stitches open, making sure that she didn't accidentally cut those that held the skin of where the last two fingers had been, before she put the scissors aside and took the forceps. "Hold still now, Haruka…I don't want to pinch you." she warned before she moved the forceps down to the first stitch and closed it around the black thread. With a short, though gentle jerk, she pulled it out, and much to Harukas relief, it really didn't hurt at all. Only five minutes later, the stitches were out, leaving nothing but a thin red scar behind that ran over the back of Harukas hand. Sighing softly, the blonde looked down on her hands, still not quite coping with what she saw there. "You'd think that I'm used to it by now." She softly spoke while Michiru gently took her hand into hers – by now, this was possible without hurting her. "You will get used to it, Haruka. And I will help you with it." The aqua haired woman promised, her thumb gently stroking the back of her lovers hand. "I know. And I'm grateful for it." Haruka replied before pulling her doctor close and kissing her. "I'll always be there for you." Michiru softly whispered into her lover's ear after the kiss, hugging the blonde like she had done so often in the past days. Haruka hugged back, letting go of her girlfriend a few minutes later. "You should get moving again and check on your other patients." She softly spoke, smiling weakly at the aqua haired doctor. "Before anyone suspects anything." Michiru nodded, sighing too. Thanks to the strange codex of the hospital, it was forbidden for her to start a relationship with a patient, at least as long as he or she still was there. As soon as the blonde would be allowed to leave, there was no need for them to keep their love secret, but until then, they couldn't tell anyone. Michiru knew that there was no risk that she could loose her job if anyone found out while Haruka still was a guest of the hospital, but it would damage her reputation a lot – and a good reputation was one of the essential things a doctor needed when she wanted to have a good career. Slowly, reluctantly, Michiru rose from her chair, gently kissing Haruka once more before she promised her to come back later. Haruka nodded in agreement, returning the doctor's kiss and looking after her when she left. As soon as the door had closed, the blondes gaze fell back to her hands again, which weren't bandaged anymore – there simply was no need to do that, the danger of infection was gone and the stitches would be taken out soon. She looked at the thin red scar that ran over the back of her hand, then her eyes travelled on and landed on the three fingers that still where there, before they continued their way and fell on the emptiness where a while ago a ring finger and a pinkie had been. Letting out a small sigh, Haruka avoided it to look at her left hand – that one looked worse than the right to her, it just seemed so _wrong _without a thumb – and turned the TV on, hoping that the program would distract her long enough until Michiru came back again. 


	14. More Than Sympathy

Epilogue: More Than Sympathy

"I'm glad that you can leave at last." Harukas father spoke while he watched how his daughter fumbled with the zipper of the sports bag that contained the clothes she had been using during her stay at the Tokyo Hospital. Finally, the blonde had managed to pull the zipper close and dusted her hands off at her pants while looking at her dad, smiling slightly. "So am I. As much as I enjoyed my stay here", with that she looked at Michiru, who leaned against the doorframe smiling, "it's good to go home again." Michiru nodded, still smiling, before she moved over to the blonde and hugged her. "It will be boring to work here without my special patient in room sixteen." The aqua haired doctor then spoke while she stepped back to look into her lover's face. "But now you have something to look forward to when you leave this place in the evening." Haruka replied, her arms still around the aqua haired woman's waist. "Your favourite patient who can't wait to pick you up from hospital and drive you home." Michiru giggled and nodded. "That's good to know, Haruka. It will make my work routine easier for me." Haruka smiled and cuddled Michiru once more before letting go of her again to throw her sports bag over one shoulder. "Will I see you tonight?" she softly spoke, happy when she received another smile and a "Yes" in return. "Okay. I can't wait." The blonde admitted, blushing slightly at that confession. Although she and Michiru were together for almost a month now, it still wasn't easy for the blonde to confess her feelings, even when it came to such a small thing like admitting that she would miss her lover until her shift ended. Luckily, Michiru was tactful enough not to mention the blush; instead, she moved closer to her girlfriend once more and gently kissed her. Harukas father watched with a slight frown on his face, although neither his daughter nor the doctor noticed. When they broke apart again, the frown had vanished, and he was grinning like he had been before. "I'll see you after my shift then." Michiru now spoke while checking her watch. "I really have to run now, Haruka, before my other patients start to feel lonely." Haruka nodded, promised that she would pick Michiru up after she was done working and watched her leave before she turned to look at her father again. "Shall we leave then, Dad?" the blonde asked, a slight smile on her face. Her father nodded, smiling back, and together they walked out of the hospital room, down the hallway and finally out of the main gate, over to the parking lot where Harukas car stood waiting. 

Haruka started the engine of her pride and joy - a yellow Toyota GTA convertible, built in the year 1968 - and drove out of the parking space her father had been using, on the street. The two drove in silence for a while, until Harukas father spoke up. "Haruka.there's something I need to talk about with you." Haruka gave him a short glance before returning her attention to the road and asking: "Which would be?" "Your new girlfriend." Her father spoke, already pulling his head between his shoulders. Much to his surprise, there wasn't an angered outburst from his daughter; instead, she more or less calmly asked: "What's wrong with her?" Her father sighed and leaned back in the car seat, avoiding to look at his daughter. "I'm not sure if she really loves you, Haruka." He softly spoke, and this caused the reaction he had feared from the beginning on. "What do you mean, you're not sure if she really loves me!" Haruka yelled, this time looking at him much longer than it was good during driving. "Look on the street!" her father snapped. "I don't want you to land in the hospital again only one hour after you left only because you had to stare daggers at me!" Haruka did what her father had told her - she knew that he was right, at least in this point - and repeated her question, a little calmer now. "What do you mean, you're not sure if she really loves me?" "I mean that maybe she didn't do all of this because she loves you, but because she feels sorry for you. Out of sympathy, you know, and not love." Haruka shook her head. "She's not like that." "How can you know? You only know her for a month now.and what if she's a good actress and breaks up with you in two weeks or so? I just don't want her to hurt you, Haruka.you've been through enough already." "I know, Dad, and I know that you're not meaning to hurt me with your words. But I know that Michiru isn't like that." Haruka reassured her father, although the small seed of doubt had been planted in her heart. Secretly, she decided that she would ask Michiru about what her father had said when she picked her up from work - hoping that she knew what the answer would be. 

Four hours later, Haruka parked her car in front of the hospital, turned the engine off and got out of it, carefully locking it. An elderly couple walked by, staring at her hands while she did so, until the blonde looked at them, so sharp that it almost was a glare. The two people quickly looked away, obviously ashamed that they had been caught staring. _Better get used to being stared at now. _A nasty voice in the back of Harukas mind whispered. _People will stare at you, and they will stare at Michiru and wonder why she's dating someone like you. _Before the blonde had a chance to get angry about those thoughts, Michirus melodic voice drifted over to her. "Haruka!" Slowly, Haruka turned around, looking at the aqua haired woman who came running towards her. For some reason, she looked different, then Haruka realized what it was: it was the first time she saw Michiru without the white doctor's coat she always had been wearing. "Hey." The blonde spoke, smiling down at the aqua haired woman, although her smile didn't reach her eyes. Michiru noticed immediately that something was bothering her. "Are you okay, Haruka?" she gently asked, and Haruka, who knew that it wouldn't help if she lied, slowly shook her head. "No.there's something that's bothering me. Something my father said." The blonde softly spoke. Michiru gently reached out and took one of the blondes hands in hers, holding it. "What did he say, Haruka?" "He.he said that he is worried about me. About us." "Worried? How?" "Worried that you don't love me and just are with me because you feel sorry." Haruka blurted out, knowing that her father's worries had been wrong when she saw the hurt that filled Michirus eyes. "Do you believe that too, Haruka?" the aqua haired woman softly asked, her voice shaking. Haruka shook her head. "No.I." "I did feel sorry for you in the beginning, Haruka." Michiru suddenly interrupted her, speaking hastily as if she needed to get the words out before they choked her, or made her explode. "But what I feel for you now.is more than sympathy. It's love. I love you, and I always will.do you believe me?" Haruka nodded, a flood of happiness suddenly waving up inside her. She knew that Michiru was telling the truth, that she wasn't lying; she just _knew. _"Yes, I do. And I love you too.now and forever." The blonde whispered before the couple sank into a long, gentle kiss, all worries gone, only the warm feeling of something left that was more than sympathy. The warm feeling that is called Love. 

The End.

A/N: OMG, that was so corny -_- Totally not my usual style. LOL. Hope you liked it anyway ^^;; If not, send the threats, letter bombs (XD) etc. to my usual e-mail address ^_~


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